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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Kyle Newbould

Virgil van Dijk makes World Cup claim as Liverpool transfer overspending ranked among rivals

Here is your Tuesday morning Liverpool FC digest.

Virgil van Dijk makes World Cup claim

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is adamant he will not be distracted by the upcoming World Cup as he attempts to get his domestic season back on track.

The Netherlands captain is one of several Reds expected in Qatar later this year when the 2022 World Cup kicks off in November - his first major tournament, after missing the European Championships because of his ACL injury.

READ MORE: Liverpool have two youngsters ready to send first-team message to Jurgen Klopp

READ MORE: Jude Bellingham has already told Liverpool what they need to do to sign him

But the 31-year-old insists he is not taking a more cautious approach to defending at club level in a bid to avoid further injury - and that the upcoming tournament is not a factor in the Reds' slow start to the season.

“Not at all, not at all," said the centre-back. "I can assure you that is definitely not the case. We are not in the situation because of that.”

Read van Dijk’s full quotes and the story here.

Reds overspending revealed

Liverpool have paid €56million over the odds for their transfers over the last decade, according to findings from the CIES Football Observatory.

Teams from across Europe’s top five leagues were assessed over a 10-year spell, with signings compared to the players true market value - estimated according to the exclusive CIES Football Observatory’s statistical model - in order to determine each club’s performance in the window.

The Reds had 33 major signings analysed over the period with a total expenditure of €1.004billion compared to an estimated player value of €948million - an overspend of €56million at an average of 6%.

Jurgen Klopp’s side ranked ninth in the Premier League table of overspending, with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton and Arsenal all performing worse - Manchester City, meanwhile, have performed surprisingly well.

Read the full story here.

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